The Man Who Won't Be King

On 23 June, four of Postie's Rejects gathered around my remote wargaming table for a try at the Mortimer's Cross battle.

Lee (Edward IV) and Dan (Herbert and Devereaux) commanded the Yorkist Army (red dice) while Richard (Pembroke) and Steve (Wiltshire and Tudor) commanded the Lancastrian Army (blue dice).  Richard has played the rules before, but this is the first trial for the other three players.  Let's see how it goes.

Armies arrayed for battle.

Lancastrians to the south...

and Yorkists to the north.

The commander attributes generated by players for this battle are,

with all commanders rated as Brave except for Wiltshire who is Inspiring.  Pembroke is most concerned with Winning the Battle, while Tudor and Wiltshire are aiming for Personal Survival.  All three Yorkist commanders are set on attaining Personal Glory. 

The battle opens with both of Edward's wings stepping forward while Edward, himself, remains on the defense.  Remaining on a defensive posture may make attaining personal glory difficult!  Mirroring his enemy across the field, Pembroke orders his two wings forward to contest the ground that Edward wants to grab.

Yorkists' wings advance...

while Lancastrian wings follow suit.

As the wings of the two armies close the distance, first shots of the battle are let loose by Tudor's Battle.  Tudor's archers force Herbert's archers to retire to safety behind their own melee line.  With his own archers falling back, Herbert brings his melee line forward toward Tudor's bowmen.  The Lancastrian archers fire into the approaching enemy before falling back behind their melee line.  No effect is noted.  Tudor's archers, however, delay long enough for Tudor's melee line to counterattack.  In a lengthy melee seeing heavy casualties to all, Tudor's men are repulsed.  They retreat back.  That did not go as planned!  

Tudor's archers retire...

as does his melee line.

Over against the Yorkist Right, Wiltshire strikes first but is, likewise, repulsed.  Casualties are light.  This battle is starting off roughly for the Lancastrians.  Devereaux moves forward into Wiltshire.  After forcing Wiltshire's archers back, Devereaux's melee line collides with Wiltshire's melee line.  In contrast to the action on the Yorkist Left, Yorkist infantry are driven back with great loss to both combatants.  Actually, losses are extremely heavy to Devereaux and his MAA are lucky to remain holding on by only a thread.  Seeing the disruption to the enemy, Wiltshire brings forward his archers and sends a missile volley into the wavering MAA.  One volley is enough to send the Yorkist MAA on their way to the rear as the billmen fall back in sympathy.  Their battle is done. 

Devereaux drives off Wiltshire's archers
 before hitting the enemy melee line.

Wiltshire's archers move up and give the enemy a volley.

That is enough to send Devereux's MAA
and supporting billmen back. 

With Edward still sitting astride the crossroads on defend orders and Pembroke moving up to engage but still a long way away, Tudor counterattacks Herbert.  After scattering Herbert's archers, Tudor crashes into the enemy melee line.  Having already been battered in their earlier fight, Herbert reluctantly retires.  Tudor is too exhausted to follow up this success.   

Herbert and Tudor bashing each other again!

Pembroke advancing down the main road
 as Edward sits on his laurels.

Tudor and Herbert running out of steam as losses mount.

With Edward still struggling to encourage his men to go onto the attack, Pembroke strikes!  Using his archers to soften up the enemy by forcing Edward's archers to the rear, Pembroke plunges into Edward with his first melee line.  Fighting is hot but with Edward remaining at the front, the Yorkists see the enemy off.  In retreat, Pembroke's first melee line passes back through his second melee line.  Now Edward snaps into action!  Following up the retreating enemy, Edward collides with Pembroke's second body of MAA.  In the clash, Edward goes down with serious wounds.  As the Yorkists continue to fight on, they gain the upper hand.  The Lancastrians retire, taking Edward with them!  Determined to rescue Edward, the Yorkists continue to pursue the enemy.  Scattering the single body of enemy MAA, Edward is nowhere to be found among the wreckage.     

Pembroke advances...

crashing into Edward's Battle.

Pembroke's main melee line is forced back...

with Edward in hot pursuit!

Edward overcomes the enemy again but falls in the chaos.
Edward is carried away by the enemy.

Fighting to rescue Edward... 

Pembroke's MAA scatter
 but Edward is not among the casualties.

Seeing Pembroke falling back in the center, Tudor attacks Herbert in an attempt to stabilize the situation so that his flank is not left hanging in air.  In a lengthy melee, Tudor is killed when his melee line breaks.  When the melee line breaks, Tudor's Battle also breaks!  With Pembroke continuing to fall back in the center under pressure from Edward's Battle (well, ex-Edward's Battle) and Tudor broken, the situation looks dire for the Lancastrian Army.  Help is needed.  That help is found in Wiltshire still battling on the Lancastrian Left.  Wiltshire redoubles his efforts against Devereaux.  Devereaux, already greatly weakened by earlier exertions, collapses under these renewed attacks.  Devereaux's Battle breaks.    

Tudor attacks...

but is killed in the hand-to-hand fighting.

Tudor's Battle breaks!

Each army now has one Battle broken.  Next army to break a second enemy Battle can claim victory.  We need not wait long.  As Tudor's archers slowly retire from the field, they deliver a long-range volley.  It hits home.  Herbert's wavering MAA are destroyed!  This battle is over!

Herbert breaks!

Victory to the Lancastrians!  Congratulations to the Lancastrian commanders, Richard and Steve!  Well done, guys!  To the Yorkists, Lee and Dan, it was a close and hard-fought contest, but it was not to be on this day.  Edward IV will not be King.  Reports still are not listing his where abouts.  The Butcher's Bill illustrates the closeness of this battle.  With one broken Battle each and all Battles suffering from their efforts, the outcome was really a toss-up until the very end.  After a seemingly endless string of Lancastrian losses on the table, that run is broken.  

Butcher's Bill

To read Richard's account of the battle, please visit Battle of Mortimer's Cross. 

Thanks to all players for providing a very enjoyable game.  That was really great fun and much appreciated.

One more Mortimer's Cross battle to fight and chronicle and then what?